Microsoft word - grade twelveapplied communications isummerreadingi.doc

Hello Soon to Be Seniors!!!!
In Applied Communications, we will be exploring the individual's role in society and human responsibility. In preparation for the school year, every student is required to read ONE of the following books
from the summer reading list. There are many possibilities, so you should take some time and choose a book
that interests you! This summer you will be reading ONE book, and therefore, you will be completing ONE
assignment which will be due Friday, September 7th. There will be no exceptions!!!! All written work should
be typed, doubled spaced and 12 point font. Your summer reading will be counted as a quiz grade. For each
additional book you read and assignment you complete, you will receive an additional extra credit quiz grade
to be averaged into your Term One grade.
Letter to the School Committee Write a letter to the school committee persuading them to include the book in the new English Curriculum. Your letter must: THEME is the message about life that the author conveys - interesting facts that you may have learned - explain why the book should be added to the curriculum. Poster Project Presentation Prepare a poster to hang in the library to advertise and entice other students to read the book. On September 8th you will be asked to present your poster to the class. In addition to being colorful, neat and easy to read, your poster must include: - one paragraph summary of the plot of novel - two important quotes from the book. (that would spark someone interest) Book Critic As a reporter for the New York Times, write a review of the book. Your book review must: - explain who you think will really enjoy the book and why - recommend or not recommend the book and at least two reasons why.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER!!!!
(Although remember: You could always read more!!!!!)

In Cold Blood By Truman Capote The shocking story of the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas
by two psychotic young men.
Chronicles. Volume One. By Bob Dylan Bob Dylan has been called the greatest lyricist of the twentieth
century and the spokesman for the hippie generation. In this book, he tells of his self-directed journey through
music and life. Interesting for the history, the music, and the process involved in reaching stardom.

The Modern American Presidency By Lewis Gould A no-holds barred analysis of all the modern presidents
from William McKinley up to George W. Bush includes the observation that today's presidency is so bogged
down in media manipulation, fund-raising, and self-indulgence that it is no more capable of grappling with
difficulties than it was a century ago.
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal By Eric Schlosser The author charges that fast
food has hastened the mauling of the American landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an
epidemic of obesity, and propelled U. S. Cultural imperialism abroad.
Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America By Elizabeth Wurtzel A memoir about depression, in
which Wurtzel traces from the age of 11 to her senior year in college in chapters marking different phrases or
manifestations of her illness. The book situates her illness squarely within her family dynamics where she found
herself the "battlefield on which [her] parents' differences were fought," and describes in excruciating detail her
inner life that at any given time was marked with a "free-flowing messy id" to nihilism, numbness, rage, and
fear, ultimately leading to a suicide attempt.

State of Fear by Michael Crichton State of Fear opens with a murder of a scientist that has created a model of
tidal waves. From there on, mysterious objects are being bought by an unknown person. All of these events link
up to be part of a very deadly plan that makes a group of scientists think they can control the environment.
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Bradbury's tour de force examines one man's struggle to live a free life in a
futuristic society that has banned reading and creativity in order to maintain order. The protagonist, Montag,
searches for a means to survive as he struggles to escape the clutches of his wife, his boss, and the government.
All Souls by Michael Patrick MacDonald In this powerful memoir, MacDonald details his own story of
growing up in Southie, Boston's Irish Catholic enclave, and also examines the ways in which working-class
communities are exploited. (Adult)

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Four Chinese women in pre-1949 China are contrasted with the lives of their
American-born daughters in California in a series of vignettes that alternate back and forth.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn The narrator of this extraordinary tale is a man in search for truth. He answers an ad
in a local newspaper from a teacher looking for serious pupils, only to find himself alone in an abandoned office
with a full-grown gorilla who is nibbling delicately on a slender branch. "You are the teacher?" he asks
incredulously. "I am the teacher," the gorilla replies. Ishmael is a creature of immense wisdom and he has a
story to tell, one that no other human being has ever heard. It is a story that extends backward and forward over
the lifespan of the earth and offers glimpses of what the future may be like.
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a
man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-
scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating
on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of
Dresden
In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle By Madeleine Blais A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tells the story of a
high school girls' basketball team's championship season and their fierce, funny, sisterhood-is-powerful quest
for excellence.

Source: http://www.avon.k12.ma.us/librarymedia/Grade%20TwelveApplied%20Communications%20ISummerReadingI.pdf